Montenegro

Montenegro is a nation located in Southeast Europe on the Balkan Peninsula.

It covers a total area of 13,883 square kilometers. The country contains 25 municipalities and has a population of 633,158 people. Podgorica serves as the capital and the largest city in the nation. Cetinje holds the title of Old Royal Capital and acts as a cultural center. Montenegro is bordered by several neighbors. Serbia lies to the northeast, while Bosnia and Herzegovina is to the northwest. Kosovo is to the east and Albania is to the southeast. Croatia sits to the west. To the southwest, the country has a coastline along the Adriatic Sea.

The name Montenegro has a specific etymology. In the local language, the country is called Crna Gora. This phrase literally translates to "Black Mountain." The name is a Venetian calque, which is a translation of the Montenegrin phrase. This name likely refers to the appearance of Mount Lovćen.

The mountain was originally covered in dense evergreen forests. In the 15th century, the name began to denote most of the modern country. Originally, the name referred only to a small strip of land. This land was ruled by the Paštrovići tribe. Eventually, the name was applied to the wider mountainous region after the Crnojević family took power.

The history of the region begins with the Illyrians. These were Indo-European-speaking people who inhabited the area before the Slavs arrived in the 6th and 7th centuries CE. Later, the Roman Republic conquered the Illyrian kingdom. This brought the region into the province of Illyricum. During the Early Medieval period, three principalities occupied the territory. These were Duklja in the south, Travunia in the west, and Rascia in the north.

Duklja gained independence from the Byzantine Roman Empire in 1042. It eventually expanded and was recognized as a kingdom. By the 13th century, the name Zeta began to replace Duklja when describing the realm.

Different powers controlled the land for centuries. From the late 14th century to the late 18th century, the Venetian Republic ruled southern parts of Montenegro. This area was part of Venetian Albania. The Ottoman Empire also held large parts of the territory from 1496 to 1878. In 1515, Montenegro became a theocracy. A theocracy is a system where religious leaders hold political power. This was led by the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral. Under the House of Petrović-Njegoš, the country functioned as a theocracy before becoming a secular principality.

Montenegro fought many battles to secure its borders and independence. In 1858, a major victory occurred at the Battle of Grahovac. A Montenegrin army of 7,500 troops defeated an Ottoman army of 15,000. This event led the Great Powers to recognize Montenegro's independence. This recognition was finalized at the Congress of Berlin in 1878. In 1910, the nation transitioned from a principality to a kingdom. During World War I, Montenegro was an Allied Power. However, Austria-Hungary occupied the country in 1916 after the Battle of Mojkovac.

The 20th century brought many changes to the state's identity. After World War I, the kingdom became part of Yugoslavia. During World War II, the modern state was founded on 15 November 1943. It was initially called the Federal State of Montenegro. After the war, it became the People's Republic of Montenegro in 1945. In 1963, the name changed to the Socialist Republic of Montenegro. As Yugoslavia broke up, it became the Republic of Montenegro in 1992. Finally, in June 2006, Montenegro declared independence following a referendum.

Today, Montenegro has an upper-middle-income economy. The economy is mostly service-based and is in a transition to a market economy. The country is an active member of several international organizations. It belongs to the United Nations and NATO. It is also part of the World Trade Organization and the Council of Europe. Montenegro is a founding member of the Union for the Mediterranean. Since 2012, the country has been in the process of joining the European Union.